Rose sits but Bulls defeat Wizards 83-81

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Derrick Rose missed the first NBA game played in South America on Saturday, sitting out the Chicago Bulls' 83-81 victory over the Washington Wizards with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee.

His absence disappointed a sellout crowd of 13,635 at the HSBC Arena in Rio - the gymnastics venue at the 2016 Olympics.

Without Rose, the Bulls got 18 points from Taj Gibson and 14 from Luol Deng. Bradley Beal led Washington with 16.

Chicago is 3-0 in the preseason and Washington is 0-2.

Rose had played two preseason games without any sign of problems, but the knee flared up Friday in practice. There was no immediate indication of the seriousness of the injury, or whether it was just a case of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau being cautious.